Automobile.



PATENTED MAY 8, 1906 U. W. DUBR.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLIOATION IIL'ED 0011.23, 1905.

v dgqxz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES WILLIAM DUER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMOBILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratenteol May 8, 1906.

tightening and loosening the rope-drive, a

better way of braking, a material reduction of parts, and various othermatters that will be apparent from the ensuing description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of so much of anautomobile constructed according to my invention as will sufiice to givea clear idea thereof. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of parts shown in theforegoing figure. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of parts sectioned on theline 3 3 of Fig. 2 viewed in the direction of the arrows, and Figs. 4and 5 are enlarged details of parts hereinafter specifically referredto.

Referring now to said drawings, the numeral 1 indicates thecarriage-box.

2 is the power-shaft, running centrally fore and aft of the carriage anddriven from any suitable source, such as an explosion-engine 3, hereinshown as located well forward under the carriage-box, and preferably so.

4 is a transmlssion-box inclosing gearing between the two sections ofthe power-shaft, which may be of frictional nature, and 5 is adriving-shaft at right angles to the powershaft and constantly driventherefrom by positive gearing, advisably the bevel-gears 6, andtransmitting to the traction-wheels 7, as presently explained. Thedriving-shaft 5 is supported in boxes 8, which bymeans of bolts 9 andplates 10 or other suitable agency are supported fromlongitudinally-slotted horizontal ways 11, forming part of brackets 12,one at each side of the carriage-box. By means of lever 13 and suitableconnections, such as rock-shaft 14, crank-arms 15 at each end thereof,and links 16, connecting said crank-arms with the aforesaidbearing-boxes, the driving-shaft can be moved back and forth inparallelism with the main axle 17, upon which the traction-wheels aremounted,

the boxes being guided in or by the horizontal ways. In the case of suchmovement it will obviously be necessary, if the powershaft is geareddirectly to the driving-shaft by bevel-wheels as advised, that thereshall be a telescoping action in the power-shaft, so that it may beextended or contracted to accommodate the positions of the drivingshaft.Such action may be obtained in various well-known ways, and I havedeemed it sufficient to illustrate one of the simplest, in

which double toggles 18, resembling a sec tion of lazy-tongs, areinserted in the length of the power-shaft. If the driving-shaft shouldbe mounted in curved guides, it is evident that the gearing connectingit with the power-shaft might be made to take up the motion.

The drivin -shaft is connected with the traction-whees by pulleys 19 and20 and rope belts 21, and when it is moved toward the rear axle thebelts are slackened and the speed decreased to a less or greater extent,owing to slip, or the drive ceases altogether, depending on the amountof slack, while when it is moved away from said axle the belts aregradually tightened, restoring the speed by degrees until top speed isreached; but the same result may be reached by the insertion ofcontrollable friction-couplings at any point along the train of gearforinstance, in the transmission-box. 7

Now in order to stop quickly it is necessary to brake thetraction-wheels, and for this purpose brake-shoes 22 are hung upon theouter ends of the driving-shaft and sufiiciently weighted to keep themin effective position notwithstanding the revolutions of the latter orotherwise controlled for this purpose. The same movement that slackensthe rope belt carries these shoes toward and eventually against thetires of the tractionwheels, thereby braking the machine; but if saidshoes should be brought suddenly and forcibly against the tires whilethe machine was still at full speed they would be likely to do injury,as by rupturing the tires or causing a too sudden and violent stop.Therefore I.

ICO

provide preliminary brakes, consisting of pivoted shoes 23,spring-seated in sockets 24,

hung upon the driving-shaft, and supported by links 25, depending fromthe body or frame of the machine, to their pivots 26, which may be inthe form of a through-rod,

and preferably is so. In the rearward or slackening movement of thedriving-shaft these latter shoes are carried against the pulleys 20 onthe traction-wheels in advance of the contact of the shoes 23 with thetractionwheel tires and exert an initial braking action which increasesin strength as their springs are compressed until the first set of shoesbecomes effective. Thus I have not only an initial braking action up ona rotating body of relatively small circumference-to wit, the pulleybuthave at the end a braking action at four points along the rear or mainaxlethat is to say, two points represented by the pulleys and two otherpoints represented by'the tires of the traction-wheels, the applicationof the power being at the ends of radii of two differing lengths fromthe axis of the main axle and being gradual, first upon the shorterradii and then upon the longer.

Any suitable means may be introduced into the gear-train antecedent tothe pulleys for reversing or backing the machine; but such means formsno part of the present invention and is therefore not illustrated orotherwise referred to than as immediately above.

I do not restrict myself herein to, as regards other features of myinvention, arope-belt transmission between the driving-shaft and themain axle, nor where such rope belt is used to taking up and letting outits slack by a bodily movement of the driving-shaft; neither do I limitmyself to a non-rotatable main axle nor to a central fore-and-aftpowershaft, nor to the location of said power-shaft in front of thedriving-shaft, nor to the specific location of the motor orexplosion-engine; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automobile, the combination of a transverse driving-shaft,means for driving it, pulleys upon the driving-shaft, a rear or tractionaxle and traction-wheels thereon, pulleys on the traction-wheelsregistering with the pulleys on the driving-shaft, belts connecting thepulleys on the wheels and shaft, self-adjusting brake-shoes registeringwith the tires of the traction-wheels,- and means for causing relativemovement of the shaft and axle in parallelism and simultaneously of thebrake-shoes and traction-wheels toward and from each other, to slackenthe belts and apply the brakes, or to tighten the belts and disengagethe brakes.

2. In an automobile, the combination of a transverse driving-shaft,means for driving it, pulleys upon the driving-shaft, a rear or tractionaxle and traction-wheels thereon, pulleys on the traction-wheelsregistering with the pulleys on the driving-shaft, belts connecting thepulleys on said shaft and traction-wheels, brake-shoes loosely hung onthe ends of the driving-shaft and registering with the tires of thetraction-wheels, and means for causing a relative movement ofthedriving-shaft and the traction-axle toward and from each other inparallelism, to slacken the belts and apply the brakes, or to disengagethe brakes and tighten the belts.

3. In an automobile, the combination of a transverse driving-shaft,means for driving it, a rear or traction axle and traction-wheelsthereon, releasable driving mechanism between the driving-shaft and thetractionwheels, brake-shoes loosely hung on the ends of thedriving-shaft and registering with the tires of the traction-wheels, andmeans for causing a relative movement of the drivingshaft and thetraction-axle toward and from each other in parallelism, to release thedriving mechanism and apply the brakes, or to disengage the brakes andengage the driving mechanism.

4. In an automobile, the combination of a power-shaft, a laterallymovable drivingshaft, means forv driving thelatter from the former,pulleys on the driving-shaft, a rear or main axle and traction-wheelsthereon, pulleys on the traction-wheels registering with the pulleys onthe driving-shaft, belts connecting said pulleys, brake-shoes looselyhung on the ends of the driving-shaft and registering with the tires ofthe tractionwheels, and means for causing a relative movement betweenthe driving-shaft and main axle toward and from each other inparallelism, to slacken the belts and apply the brakes, or to disengagethe brakes and tighten the belts.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination of atransverse drivingshaft, means for driving said shaft, a rear or mainaxle and traction wheels thereon, means for driving the traction-wheelsfrom the driving-shaft, means for applying a preliminary braking to thetraction-wheels, means for concurrently releasing the drive between thedriving-shaft and said wheels, and means for applying a final braking tothe wheels concurrently with continued and increased effect of thepreliminary braking.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of adriving-shaft, means whereby it is driven, a rear or main axle andtraction-wheels thereon, pulleys and belts connecting the driving-shaftwith the traction-wheels, means for tensioning and releasing said belts,mechanism for preliminarily braking the wheels when the belts areslackened, and means for succeedingly ap plying other. and more powerfulbraking mechanism.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination of atraction-axle, tractionwheels thereon, mechanism for driving saidwheels, means for engaging and releasing said driving mechanism,mechanism for preliminarily braking the traction-wheels when the,driving mechanism is released, and means for succeedingly ap lying otherand more owerful braking mec anism.

8. n a machine of the character described, the combination of atransverse drivingshaft, fixed horizontal ways by which it is supported,means whereby it is driven, a rear or main axle and traction-wheelsthereon, pulleys and belts connecting the drivingshaft with thetraction-wheels, and means for moving said shaft in parallelism alongits ways to tension and release said belts.

9. In a machine of the character described, the combination of afore-and-aft powershaft, a motor for driving it, a transversedriving-shaft, pulleys upon its ends, a main axle and traction-wheelsthereon, pulleys on the traction-wheels registering with the aforesaidpulleys, rope belts connecting the opposing pulleys, gearing connectingthe power-shaft and the driving shaft, and means in the train wherebythe speed is variable by changing the degree of frictional connection.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination of afore-and-aft power-shaft, a motor for driving it, a transversedriving-shaft, pulleys upon its ends, a main axle and traction-wheelsthereon, pulleys on the traction-wheelsregistering with the aforesaidpulleys, rope belts connecting the opposing pulleys, guides on which thedriving-shaft is supported in such manner that it can be moved laterallyso as to allow said belts to slip to change speed, means for moving saidshaft in parallelism along said guides, means for maintaining itsconnection with the power-shaft, and bevel-gearing permanentlyconnecting the two shafts.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of anextensible and contractible fore-and-aft power-shaft and a motor fordriving it, a transverse driving-shaft and means for moving it backwardand forward in parallelism, gearing connecting the two shafts, a mainaxle and traction-wheels thereon, and driving mechanism connecting thedriving-shaft and traction-wheels.

12. In a machine of the character described, the combination with anextensible and contractible fore-and-aft power-shaft and a motor fordriving it, of a transverse driving-shaft and means for moving itbackward and forward in parallelism, bevelgearing directly connectingthe two shafts, a main axle and traction-wheels thereon, and beltsconnecting the driving-shaft.to pulleys upon the traction-wheels.

13. In a machine of the character described, the combination of apower-shaft, a laterally-movable transverse driving-shaft, meansfordriving the latter from the former, pulleys on the driving-shaft, a rearor main axle and traction-wheels thereon, pulleys on the traction-wheelsre istering with the pulleys on the driving-shaft, belts connecting saidpulleys, brake-shoes loosely hung on the ends of the driving-shaft andregistering with the tires of the traction-wheels, and means for movingthe driving-shaft laterally in parallelism toward and from the mainaxle, to slacken' the belts and apply the brakes, or to release thebrakes and tighten the belts.

14. In a machine of the character described, the combination of apower-shaft, a driving-shaft, means for driving the latter from theformer, a rear or main axle and traction-wheels thereon, means fordriving the traction-wheels from the driving-shaft, means for applying apreliminary braking to the traction-wheels, means for concurrentlyreleasing the drive between the driving-shaft and the traction-wheels,and means for applying a final braking to the traction-wheelsconcurrently with the continued and increased eifect of the preliminarybraking.

CHARLES WILLIAM DUER.

Witnesses:

WM. BRAKANNY, N. DE RAYLA'N.

